At a Glance
The project in brief
BASED ON
My work as SRF’s stringer and fixer in Jordan
PERIOD
Since 2019
CATEGORY
Journalism & Media
FOR
Foreign correspondents, documentary teams and researchers
THE QUESTION
What separates a fixer you keep from one you replace?
THE ANSWER
Eight qualities, below
The Situation
A foreign newsroom is only as good as its access
Foreign correspondents live and die by the people who get them in the door. A good fixer turns a week in an unfamiliar country into a broadcast. A poor one turns it into missed interviews.
THE EIGHT QUALITIES
What to look for, and what it looks like in practice
- Quick turnaround. Radio runs on deadlines. The interview has to happen today, not next week.
- Resourcefulness. Plans break on the road. A good fixer rebuilds them on the spot.
- Cultural well-roundedness. Knowing how to talk to a minister and a Bedouin family, in the same week, on their own terms.
- Connectivity. A network wide enough to reach almost anyone, from politicians to “vagabonds”.
- Grassroots access. Real reach into remote and isolated communities, not just the capital.
- Understanding the situation. Knowing what’s happening on the ground right now, and what it means for the story.
- Depth of social and political knowledge. Context that keeps a correspondent from walking into a sensitive topic blind.
- Journalistic expertise. A fixer who thinks like a journalist can suggest stories and angles, not just book interviews.
IN PRACTICE
Getting into Baqura
My first job for SRF was getting the team into Baqura, a militarized zone Jordan had just taken back from Israel. It took connectivity, local knowledge and speed, all at once.
For your newsroom
Three questions to ask a fixer before you hire
- Who could you get us on the record with this week, and how?
- When did a plan fall apart on the road, and what did you do?
- What story here do you think we’re missing?
The full story is in Fixing Across Jordan for Swiss Radio SRF.
Work with me
Planning coverage in Jordan?
I bring the access, the interpretation and the local knowledge, and I work to your deadline.